


Hazy Days

by WhereIBelong



Category: Original Work
Genre: Adorable, Airplane, Arizona - Freeform, Boyfriends, Cool, Cute, First Meeting, Fluff, Glasses, Hot, M/M, Male/Male, Shy, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-27
Updated: 2013-04-18
Packaged: 2017-12-06 16:42:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/737865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhereIBelong/pseuds/WhereIBelong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Who says internet friends are fake?<br/>Jack met Miles over a blogging site and decided that they should meet up!<br/>Takes place in Arizona, some place that only exists in my cranial dimension>w><br/>EDIT: Was changed 4/10 to Jack and Miles, chapters 3 and 4 were switched around =3</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Currently uncompleted  
> Contains guy-on-guy action, I warn you now.

Jack spied him from down the terminal hallway. He saw the impatient look on Miles' face brighten as their eyes met, Jack’s dazzling blue to Miles' muted, dusty green. Jack tried not to seem overly excited as he waited for Miles to pass through the gate, brushing his light brown hair off his forehead with his other hand in his pocket. His nerves were jumping and all he wanted was to get Miles somewhere secluded, and quickly, but he took a breath and kept himself under control. Miles smiled at the woman who handed him his luggage and all but ran over to Jack, lips twitching as if he was keeping them from splitting into a bigger grin. He stopped just in front of Jack, hands clutching a beat-up green duffel bag. Jack’s smile was small, quiet, his eyes calm behind his sunglasses. He was a complete emotional tornado inside, but that wasn’t what mattered. Miles opened his mouth, then closed it, unable to make eye contact.

“Good flight?” Jack said finally to alleviate Miles' anxiety. Miles laughed nervously and nodded.

“A little bumpy, and a little slow, but that’s to be expected.” he replied gratefully, shrugging one shoulder uncertainly. Jack bit the corner of his lip, clearing his throat. Damn, but the kid was cute. His open fist was opening and closing, as his mouth had, as if he wanted to touch Jack but was too anxious to try.

“Well, welcome to Arizona,” Jack grinned, holding his hand out for Miles to shake. Miles laughed again and shook. Jack could feel his hand shaking and had to look away for a moment. Everything about Miles was better than Jack had expected; sure, he had seen pictures over the internet and heard his voice over a Skype call, but put together and in real life, it was a little overwhelming. Miles' coyness had become awkward yet adorable shyness, and those eyes...

“Its great, seeing you in person,” Miles muttered as they walked down the rows of airport vendors. He shot Jack a little sideways look, saw that Jack was watching, and jerked his gaze to a tee-shirt stand. Color rose in his pale cheeks like a mini-sunset. “I mean, after talking with your crappy webcam for so long.”

Jack laughed. “I warned you that it was a piece of shit.” Jack retorted, tousling the other teen’s dark hair. It was soft and warm and Jack had to restrain himself from burying his face in it. Miles flinched and glanced up at him questioningly. Jack passed the touch off as nothing. “Anyway, how were your folks when you said you were leaving?” Miles looked down at his feet, a bitter smile on his lips. God, but Jack wanted to touch those lips.

“Oh, they didn’t really say much,” Miles chuckled, shrugging again. “Just that it would be my fault if I got home and my stuff was gone.” he tapped the dusty duffel bag at his side with one hand. “Wouldn’t matter if they did, the stuff I actually need’s in here anyway.” Jack frowned slightly and leaned into Miles' shoulder, wanting to hug him. The harsh lights of the airport held him back, however; Jack had no problem with kissing the kid he’d been waiting to meet for years in public, but he didn’t know how comfortable Miles was, especially with his family situation recently.

“Would they actually sell your stuff?” Jack asked quietly, brushing Miles' fingers with his own.

“Usually I would say no, but these days, I dunno. They might.” He pressed his hand into Jack’s, whose eyes widened fractionally at the response and the words. “All they could sell would be clothes and junk. I took my laptop and my electronics, so they can’t even keep me from going to class everyday.” Miles was taking a college online course that his parents disapproved of. They thought rich kids should go to school with the other rich kids, despite Miles' introvertedness and knack for hacking and programming. More and more Jack was coming to hate Miles' parents. His own had no idea that Jack had asked a teen a few years younger than himself to come to his apartment from half a country away, or that he preferred men to the skinny, pretty girls they kept introducing him to at parties.

“My car’s out here,” Jack said, pointing to the terminal exit. The arid air waited just outside of the air conditioned hall and Jack longed for it. The too-clean smell of the airport was starting to annoy him. As the doors hissed open, Jack squeezed Miles' hand. “You can stay out here as long as you like, I don’t mind.”

“When you start to get to know me for real, you might,” Miles grinned slightly, gasping when the dry air hit them. “Damn, its hot.” He grimaced and shook out of Jack’s hand, fanning himself frantically. His square glasses fogged up, clouding his eyes.

“You’ll get used to it,” Jack said cheerily, leading him to the car garage and his small black Camry. Miles collapsed in the passenger side, looking helplessly at the red landscape.

“That’s a mountain,” he said weakly as Jack started the car. “Yeah, it is.” Jack’s voice had a hint of a question in it. Miles buckled his seatbelt and waved at the scenery. “I’ve never seen a desert before!” he exclaimed, giving Jack an indignant look. “I’ve never seen a real live cactus - wait, is that a palm tree? And another mountain? Is the sky always this blue?!” Jack’s quiet laughter escalated in volume until Miles stopped talking, blushing fiercely.

“I’m glad I could show you this, then.” Jack chuckled, taking one hand off the wheel to muss the kid’s hair again. Miles stuck his tongue out, but he was smiling. Jack was more than happy to take his mind off his parents. “My apartment’s really close, only five minutes or so, and yes, there’s air conditioning inside.” Miles gave such an emphatic sigh of relief that Jack started laughing again. They chit chatted all the way to Jack’s cheap Phoenix apartment, mostly about what had happened between the last time they had talked over Skype until now. Jack hadn’t felt more alive and more awake than he did in a very long time. Everything was brighter and better, the air cleaner. He could smell Miles' deodorant over the dry scent of the cooled air as well as his own, slightly stronger. They got out of the car and went up the four flights of outdoor stairs to Jack’s apartment. The whole building was a dark orange-red, made to look rustic and inviting. The tourists were all on the first two floors while the poorer residents of Phoenix inhabited the top two. Currently, Jack’s was the only occupied room on the top floor. By the time they got to his door, Miles was panting, shoulders drooping and glasses hanging off his nose. Jack asked him if he was okay, concerned.

“I’m really in good shape,” he replied, wiping his forehead and blinking when his arm came back dry. “The air is just really thin and dry here, that’s all.” Jack let him into the apartment, twisting the air conditioner’s dial before shutting and locking the door. The windows were shut, and the interior of the room was dark and cool. Miles stood in the middle of the tiny living room, bag weighing down one shoulder considerably. He fidgeted, black Keds rubbing together. Jack smirked and grabbed the duffel bag, dropping it in the guest bedroom. The apartment was surprisingly roomy, a two bedroom - one bathroom - one kitchen/living room deal. The guest room was barren, as Jack spent most of his money on the rent, so Jack suggested they go into his room, where it was more furnished and not unnaturally white and bare. Miles agreed, a grin playing on his lips. Jack opened the door slowly, watching Miles' eyes light up when he looked inside. Jack had the urge to pick the kid up and throw him onto the bed, but he let Miles walk inside and turn around the room.

“Oh wow.” he said softly, green eyes wide and sparkling. The room was basic, gray walls with dark red trim, the bed messily made with a dark gray and black comforter/sheet set, the floor hardwood and actually cleared of clothes and junk for once. Jack’s clothes were in two piles in one corner - one pile dusty and stained, the other clean but wrinkled.

“Sorry its a mess, I’m not really the housekeeping type.” Jack put his hands in his pockets, watching Miles' face. He was like a child, eyes wide with amazement.

“Its fine,” he said absently, gazing up at a band poster. “My parents would never let me do this, oh wow.” he went to Jack’s photography wall, currently plastered with pictures of the autumn sunsets that Jack had taken most recently. On the center shot was a large, sandy rock with a gecko perched atop, looking inquisitively into the camera lens. “You were so lying when you said you sucked at taking photos.” Miles said accusingly, glaring at Jack. Jack shuffled his feet.

“These are the good ones, that’s all,” he mumbled. There was a reason he kept his photography in his apartment. Miles was having none of it. He strode over to Jack and stood on the toes of Jack’s flat sneakers, looking up at him scoldingly.

“These are great, and I’m sure the others were just as good.” he muttered, trying to keep a smile away. Jack raised his eyebrow and took off his sunglasses. Miles' grin slipped when their eyes actually met for the first time. Miles' went wide again with amazement behind his black-rimmed glasses. Pink rose in his cheeks once more. “Your w-webcam really is...” he swallowed hard, blinking. Jack had to bite his lip again; Miles' voice was shaking. “Sucky,” he finished, lips parting. Jack blindly groped for Miles' hand and found it, quivering and sweating despite the dryness. “Its good to see you.” Jack said quietly, voice low. He leaned forward and kissed Miles gently, hoping the brunette wouldn’t freak out. He was shocked when Miles pressed into him when Jack pulled back, licking Jack’s lips nervously. Miles' other hand was gripping the bottom of Jack’s shirt tightly. Miles was breathing unevenly, and Jack couldn’t say too much about his own. The A/C was jacked as high as it would go, but the room felt suffocatingly hot.

“That was the first kiss I ever had with someone I really care about,” Miles said softly, eyes on Jack’s throat, face flushed. Upon hearing that, Jack snapped. He bent forward again and kissed Miles more urgently, delighted when Miles' lips parted for him. He slid his free hand under Miles' arm, fingers spanning the thin waist. Miles' mouth was eager but unsure on his, but Jack took control, tilting Miles' head back slightly. They released their hands only to grab onto another part of each other. Miles stepped in closer to put his arms around Jack, shirt in his fists, and Jack wrapped his arm around Miles' back, one hand in his hair. Their tongues tangled, growing more and more frantic. Jack walked them backwards without breaking apart, easing himself down on his bed and pulling Miles after him. He opened his eyes dizzily, instantly turned on by Miles' desperate, longing expression.

He lifted the smaller teen up and onto his lap, hands creeping under Miles' shirt to feel the heated skin. Miles made an almost silent moan against his mouth that encouraged him to reach higher. Jack’s chilled fingers brushed Miles' nipples and a louder moan escaped the brunette. Jack all but ripped Miles' shirt off, apologizing when the collar got caught on his glasses. Miles, red-faced and panting, yanked his glasses off and tossed them onto one of the piles of clothing in the corner. Jack smiled and pulled Miles' face back down to his, attempting to slow down to calm Miles' nerves. That proved to be the wrong plan as Miles promptly dropped his jean-clad butt onto Jack’s lap, causing all the skin there to jump. Jack’s eyes went wide and he gasped silently. He hugged Miles close, devouring his mouth, and picked him up, slamming him onto the pillows and pressing his slightly larger frame down. Miles' shaking hands tugged at Jack’s shirt ineffectively, so Jack broke their kiss long enough to get his own shirt off. Miles pulled him back down with a fierceness that only turned Jack on more, and the skin on skin friction made it that much better. Another quiet moan of Miles' caused Jack’s lower half to tighten, and Jack made it his mission to coax more of those sounds out of the quiet, shy teen.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically this entire chapter is uh. porn. so... here..  
> EXPLICIT CONTENT! I WARNED YOU!  
> Anyhow, Jack and Miles are getting to 'know' each other. Yup. I'm not sorry.

Jack pulled his mouth free, panting. He had never seen anything but Miles fully clothed and there was just enough light in his dim room to see by. He wanted to take this first chance to explore. That was his first thought, anyway. He ran his tongue up the side of Miles' throat, grabbing his wrists when Miles shivered and arched his back up. Keeping his arms pinned, Jack moved down to Miles' collar bone, scraping his teeth against the pale flesh. Miles wrapped his legs around Jack’s waist, gasping. His skin was warm with a slight sheen of sweat, either from his exertions outside or just now, Jack didn’t know. He did know he wanted more. He latched onto Miles' nipples, hardened from Jack’s earlier explorations. He felt Miles tense up.

“Jack, wha-oh!” his protests were cut off by a surprised moan. Jack carefully let go of Miles' hands in case he wanted Jack to stop, but the other teen’s freed hands recaptured themselves in Jack’s comforter, pressing his chest upwards. Jack took that as a sign to continue. He brushed his fingers across Miles' exposed hip bones and was rewarded with more sounds that were just as of astonishment as they were of pleasure. Jack thought the kid had never been touched like this in his life, never even imagined it, and the idea sent him into a bloodlust. He stopped looking at Miles' bare chest and returned to his mouth, growling when Miles' teeth caught his lip and tugged gently. Miles' hands wound in Jack’s hair, pushing his lower body up into Jack’s. Jack returned the motion, delighted to feel Miles' stiffness against his own.  One of the brunette’s hands slipped from Jack’s hair to his waist, wrenching eagerly at the studded belt there. Jack smiled against Miles' mouth and helped, easily unhooking the other’s pants as well. He slid his hand into Miles' waistband, earning the biggest gasp yet.

Jack pulled back from the kiss just enough to see Miles' features contort as he gripped his member. The kid’s dark green eyes popped open, then squeezed shut, and he bit down on his fist as if to stifle a moan. Jack tugged the hand free and replaced it with his mouth, forcing Miles' mouth open as he stroked down below. Jack thought he had it all under control until Miles mimicked him and grabbed his dick. A low growl escaped Jack’s throat and his eyes went wide. Miles' hand was slick with sweat and quivering uncontrollably and he was quite inexperienced, but no one else had ever felt that good to him before. He quickened his pace, breaking their kiss so he could breathe without gasping. Miles also sped up, moving his hips as well, and he squirmed under Jack so he could nibble the side of Jack’s throat. Neither lasted very long in their panicked state, and they came almost at the same time, Miles with a whimper and Jack with a muttered curse and a bite on Miles' shoulder. Jack slumped against the pillow next to Miles, trying to untangle himself and give the kid some air. Miles found his hand, the one sticky with cum, and grabbed it.

They lay in the dim room, silent but for their panting, for a few moments before turning their heads to look at each other. Jack was afraid for a moment that the teen was going to leap up, grab his shirt and split for the airport. He almost laughed when Miles had the same exact look on his face.

“I’m sorry?” Miles asked, getting his breath back. Jack smiled.

“I am too, if that was actually what you wanted to say,” he replied, kicking the comforter aside to clean their mess with the dark gray sheets.

“I just meant...” he flapped his hand at the ceiling, not seeming to notice Jack cleaning between his fingers of his other hand. “I don’t normally attack people I just met.” Jack propped himself up on one elbow.

“You are a lot more... aggressive than I thought you’d be,” Jack murmured coyly, brushing his hair off his sweaty forehead. Miles glanced up at him, blushing and disgruntled.

“I really wanted to meet you, okay?” he retorted, making sounds of indignation when Jack kissed him gently. Jack flopped back against the pillow again, satisfied for the moment. Miles made a meager attempt at snuggling closer before dropping his head onto Jack's shoulder. Jack was about to make some kind of jest about getting close really fast until he noticed that Miles' eyes were shut. He looked exhausted, but there was a small smile on his face. Jack smiled too, foolishly, and closed his eyes, sighing softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never even written smut like this before, so i apologize.. and for its shortness... yey.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little slow, just laying some groundwork x_x

Jack roused himself an hour or two later, unable to keep a goofy grin down when he saw Miles, tangled around him, breathing quietly. As softly as he could, Jack removed himself and stood, scrubbing a spot of dried cum off his chest. He fetched a new shirt and changed his pants in the bathroom, peeking in on the brunette to make sure he was still asleep. Jack retrieved the glasses thrown onto his laundry pile and placed them on the side table and slipped into the guest bedroom. He hesitated over Miles' duffel bag; he wanted to be good and get Miles some new shorts and maybe a change of shirt, but he didn’t know how comfortable the other was with him going through the bag. It sounded like these were his only important possessions and Jack could understand not wanting someone to be rooting around inside. He stepped back with his hands in his back pockets guiltily.

He left the room more quickly than he had entered and started making coffee for himself; the clock on the microwave said four in the afternoon, but what did it know, anyway? He leaned back against the cheap countertop, fidgeting. It wasn’t like he didn’t know Miles; they had gotten surprisingly close over just the internet. They had been talking face-to-face for a little more than a year, had played some online games, had talked about everything from high school to girls and, later, guys. Jack knew Miles had some emotional and anxiety problems that he refused to share, but that was okay. Some things could be kept quiet, of course. Jack had never mentioned losing his first girlfriend in a car crash, not only because it was immensely painful for him, but because it had never come up in conversation. Jack never pried into the way Miles would stop talking about his parents or evade questions about his own personality. Surely those little things wouldn’t keep them from staying friends.

The coffee machine began sputtering into life as Jack was about to give up on it and he watched the liquid slowly drip into the pot. He sighed impatiently and gazed around the tiny kitchen boredly. His eyes lighted affectionately on his camera, his baby. He hadn’t taken many shots in the past few days, as he was had been too excited for Miles' arrival, but now he had a weird idea that he wanted to try. Abandoning the coffee to drizzle its way out, he snatched up the black camera and snuck back into his bedroom. Miles had not moved an inch and Jack thought he looked completely out of it. He hadn’t asked how long the flight had been, or if Miles had slept right in the past few days. He knew from their previous discussions that he had some trouble sleeping on occasion, and more than once, a sheepish Miles had come online after a few days of inactivity to report that he’d collapsed at school or while out of his house. Shaking his head, Jack tiptoed over to the window and gently tugged at the shades, letting the orangey sunlight stream through. Dust hung in the air, as usual, creating a nice wispy filter for the shot. He arranged himself so that the camera lens caught Miles and the messy bedroom as a background. Miles' hip bone cast a sharp shadow over his stomach and his hand covered the lower half of his face, leaving his innocent expression mostly visible. Jack smiled like he had a new secret as he snapped a few shots, shifting around for extras in case the lighting was weird. He silently closed the blinds when he was done and left the room, lingering in the doorway. 

Jack looked at the shots in the preview on his camera and shut it off, satisfied. He wouldn’t know if they were any good for a few days when he could get them printed, anyway. He sat down at his coffee/kitchen table and scanned over the prints and newspaper articles there. His income relied on the local newspaper and a few small magazine gigs around the city as their main photographer. He had gone to college for photography for two years, but his accident with Amelia, his first girlfriend, had cut him short and he had never worked up the funds to go back. He wondered now if he would be any better at getting the perfect shot if he had finished, or if his incompleteness made his work different, unique. He decided to believe the latter, and with a snort, he flicked through the articles they wanted shots for. Most were for tourists’ sake and he thought about the countless sunset and sunrise photos he had scattered around. They would do if he couldn’t find anything else. He doubted they would want pictures of an exhausted kid, no matter how endearing. Jack smirked at the papers without seeing them. Endearing, indeed.

The sun had come and gone without a single snapshot by the time Jack heard Miles stirring in the other room. He thought about busting in to attack him, but remembered the boneless way Miles had fallen asleep earlier and his lack of clean shorts and calmed himself, placing another picture on his dusty old scanner and shutting the lid. Miles stumbled into the kitchen/living room, glasses in one hand and eyes barely open. Jack looked appraisingly at his thin waist, pale in the yellow light of the apartment.   
"D'you know where m' underwear is?" he mumbled, yawning. 

"Spare bedroom," Jack replied, amused. Without any kind of shyness or shame, he wandered into the guest room. His jean fly and button were both undone, his boxers more than showing. Jack stifled a laugh as the brunette came back with a pair of black boxers in his other hand. Jack pointed to the door just inside his own room. "Bathroom's there, if you want." Miles nodded sleepily and went in. He tried to finish the collection he was gathering, but he kept glancing up at the bathroom door, waiting. Miles came out a few minutes later, glasses on, pants buttoned, first pair of boxers clenched in one fist. His face was pale from sleep with faint slashes of red.

"Sorry," he scuffed his shoe on the cheap linoleum. Jack wanted to kick himself; he had meant to take those off of the kid before. His own were lying under the coffee/kitchen table. "They were a little, uh, gross." Jack stood up abashedly. 

"Its fine," he said quickly, sticking his hands in his back pockets so he wouldn't dry-wash them like an old man. "You can kick your shoes off and everything, my stuff's already all over the place. Feel free to add to the mess." He felt a sudden anxiety in wanting to make Miles comfortable, to rid him of that apologetic expression and downcast eyes. "Um, its a little past dinner. If you're hungry, I know a few places around here, or we could get pizza or something. Whatever you want." The nerves were coming out in his voice, and he tried to calm himself. I'm supposed to be the smooth one here, he reminded himself sourly.

"Oh, um... Pizza's fine," Miles answered nervously, chuckling and crossing his skinny arms. It was then that he noticed his state of undress. He blinked and backed out of the kitchen, reappearing within a few seconds with a baggy tee shirt on. Jack grinned stupidly at how cute that move was.

"Any preferences in toppings?" Jack slipped his cell out of his pocket, scrolling through the very short address book to the pizza place's number. They were moderately used to delivering to this apartment complex and his apartment was in the top ten places they delivered to in the area.

"Just no pineapples," Miles shuddered theatrically and slipped into one of the chairs near the table. He was still fidgeting and it made Jack uncomfortable.

"Pepperoni it is." Jack watched the kid while he talked, leaning against the cheap countertop. The teen yawned widely and slumped against the metal chair, eyes at half mast. He glanced up when Jack clicked his phone shut and sat down across from him. "Sleepy?"  
Miles nodded, shrugging. "It was a really long flight, and I didn't sleep all that great the night before." he laughed, a little sourly. "I haven't slept well in a few days. Stupid parents are always up and running around at all hours of the night, and I usually end up doing most of my classwork pretty early in the morning. I was so excited that I kind of... crashed." He grinned at Jack sheepishly.  
"Like I said, my shitty apartment room is your shitty apartment room," Jack held up his hands, smiling. Miles' expression suddenly turned serious.

"I can pay for the pizza," he said quietly, jerking his thumb at the spare room where his bag was. "I'm already taking up all of your space, I might as well pay for my food." Jack's eyes widened fractionally.  
"You don't have to," he chided gently. "I at least have enough money to feed the both of us, as long as we don't do six course dinners or anything." He had hoped to crack a smile on Miles, but the green eyed kid stayed deadpan. Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I already made you pay for the ticket over, and that couldn't have been cheap. Not to mention the deal with your parents. I can handle food and clothing, at the very least. It's a privilege, really." Miles shook his head and smirked.  
"I'm the son of two rich misers, Jack," he grinned. Evilly. I'll be damned, he looks downright demonic like that . The thought was surprisingly affectionate. "I have a debit card that they can and have put money into without being able to take any out for quite a few years now. I don't have anything to spend their money on besides the essentials anyway." he paused for a moment, looking crestfallen. "Besides, I ran out of room in my bag; I filled it with electronics and I only have three sets of clothes." Jack looked at him for a moment to make sure he was serious before bursting into laughter.


	4. Chapter 4

The pizza got to the apartment building pretty quickly and Jack left Miles to pick it up. He tipped the guy and returned to find Miles staring glossily at the portfolio on the table. He was listing to the side almost dangerously. The sound of Jack kicking the door shut shook him awake. Jack tried not to snigger.

“You can just drop those in the corner,” Jack pointed at the pile of photos and clippings. He himself transferred the pizza box to the other hand and retrieved plates from the tiny cabinet above the sink. Even with the table cleared, the box took up most of the surface. Jack shrugged and dropped the box on the floor. Miles chortled and accepted a plate from him. They tore into it like they hadn't eaten in days. In Jack's case, that was almost the truth; he hated eating breakfast and he had been too excited a the airport to stomach anything. They finished three quarters of the pizza in silence, more out of haste and full mouths than awkwardness. Jack jumped back out of his chair when he realized neither of them had drinks. Miles didn't seem to notice, licking grease off his fingers.

“Do you want a napkin?” Jack asked bluntly. Miles glanced up, one finger in his mouth. He nodded hastily, looking embarrassed. Jack fetched one for him and grabbed two glasses, checking the fridge. It was sparsely stocked, two Chinese food containers stacked next to a pile of deli cuts being the only food inside. “We have... water, orange juice... and cheese.” Miles grinned around the napkin.

“Orange juice is fine,” he replied, accepting the glass. Jack sat back down slowly, taking a last piece of pizza. He ate much more calmly, hunger mostly sated. “Nice apartment,” Miles added, biting the rim of his cup.

Jack smiled sardonically. “It's literally the cheapest in this area; it doesn't have any of the 'scenic views' that tourists always want, and its out of the way of most roads.” Jack nudged the photo pile with his sock. “The locals like my photos better than the older guys' and women's so I get paid better than them.”

Miles nodded, looking into his cup. “I've never had a job,” he said, wistful.

“You're still in class, ya goof.” Jack tossed a piece of crust at him. He regretted it as soon as it left his hand. He knew Miles, as well as one could know another without meeting in person; still, he was uneasy about how comfortable he could be. Yes, they had just attacked each other in a nervous teenage lust, but at the same time... His anxiety was for naught when Miles batted the crust out of mid air and threw the napkin as a counterattack. Jack jerked back and splashed orange juice down is front, exclaiming at the cold of the liquid. Miles covered his mouth, eyes wide and laughing helplessly. Jack was laughing as well, but there was a threatening look in his eye. Miles cowered as Jack stood, dripping a little. Jack stepped around the table, drawing himself up and meaning to grab the brunette, but instead of running, Miles flicked his grease-stained plate. It sliced through the air and chopped at Jack's neck. He made a quiet, surprised squeak and swung at it before tackling Miles off of his chair. Again, he was hesitant (half a second too late) about grabbing Miles, so at the last minute, he twisted and forced Miles to land on top of him. They hit the cheap tiles with a simultaneous grunt that dissolved into laughter. Miles, to Jack's surprise, scrambled p and sat on Jack's chest, looking proud of himself, glasses askew. Jack remedied that by seizing the kid under the armpits and tickling him.

“Cheating!” he squealed, thrashing but keeping his seat. Jack kept at it until Miles gave and rolled free, yelping when Jack landed on him. There was a brief struggle, ending with Jack on top, pinning the brunette's hands. Miles' glasses were under on his head, as he had stolen them during the rolling around. Miles wriggled futilely, laughing breathlessly.

“I win,” Jack murmured. He bent down to replace the glasses to their owner, reveling in how pretty the kid's eyes were. A mischievous look entered them and he lurched upwards. Jack renewed his grip, only to get a mouthful of sock and toes. Jack made a muffled sound of disgust and captured Miles' hands in one of his, free hand reverting to tickling. They thrashed around on the floor like a pair of eels, yelping and laughing. Miles managed to get back on top and by that point, they were both red-faced and panting. When he saw that Jack had more or less given up, Miles slumped over, head resting on Jack's chest. Jack was still giggling to himself, out of breath.

“Tired?” he asked after a quiet moment. Miles nodded without lifting his head, glasses digging into Jack's shoulder. Jack reached up and tentatively ran his fingers through Miles' hair. The kid gave no indication that the gesture was unpleasant, instead relaxing further. After a few minutes of discomfort (the floor was anything but comfortable), Jack moved to lift Miles, who mumbled something incoherent. He actually fell asleep, Jack realized, stunned by how cute he found that to be. He wanted to roll over and attack, but the poor thing was exhausted. Instead, he gathered as much of the teen's body as he could and lifted him, half carrying him to the hallway. He booted open the guest bedroom, but drew back when Miles groaned and shook his head, clinging onto Jack. A goofy grin snuck onto the blonde's lips and he turned almost cheerily into his own room, laying Miles out on the mussed bed. Jack took the black frame glasses, popping out his contact lenses and depositing them near each other on his bedside table. Miles looked up blearily as Jack slid in next to him and moved closer as he settled. Jack had no idea how much he had missed sharing a bed with someone until that moment and he smiled in a bittersweet kind of way, feeling Miles' warmth beside him and letting his eyes slip shut.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack woke at once to Miles shifting and found their legs entangled and most of Mile's upper body on Jack. He smiled and lazily let his head fall to one side.

They woke in the morning almost at the same time. Miles started and jerked upright, heading swinging. Jack watched sleepily as the tension left the brunette's shoulders as he twisted around to look at Jack.

"Morning," Jack grinned, waving. Eyes wide with surprise, Miles laughed, a tad uneasily. Jack sat up next to him, yawning. "Do you need to shower or anything?" He choicely ignored the almost guilty morning-after look on Miles' face. He nodded though and Jack stood to find him a clean towel among the piles of clothing. 

As soon as Miles was in the bathroom, Jack grabbed his camera and hooked the strap around his neck, opening the window in his bedroom. Hanging to one side was a fire escape ladder, and he swung out onto it, camera swaying. He climbed up the short way to the roof of the apartment complex and stretched briefly, content. He settled down, looking around the town as it too awoke.

He understood Miles' anxiety about waking up next to someone you just met. He was feeling a strange amount of comfort around the other, as if his presence was calming. It was nice, given the amount of nervousness he had felt waiting at home and at the airport. However, he still thought it strange; he hadn't been physically close to anyone after losing Amelia, but just as she had given him comfort, he had a sense of rightness around Miles. Sighing, he stepped to the edge of the building, aiming his viewfinder.

After a few good shots (and dozens of "shit-shots", as he liked to call them), he sighed and clambered back down through the window, yawning. He shut the window and toed his shoes off, spinning around at the sound of running feet. Miles burst into the room, eyes wide and mouth agape. His towel was neglectfully clenched in one fist and his face was pale.

"Are you alright?" Jack exclaimed, stepping forward and tossing his camera onto his bed. Miles stared at him, mouth working silently and Jack looked around for some reason for a disturbance.

"I thought you left me here," he stammered eventually. His hair was dripping, turned black by the water. He tried to give Jack one of those 'joke's on me', sheepish grins, but it looked fake. He looked sick and scared instead. Jack forced a laugh and clapped him on the arm, taking the forgotten towel. He stepped past Miles to hang the towel on one of the silver hooks in the guest bedroom. Once by, the smile slipped off his face. He had only been gone 15 minutes, 20 at most, barely enough time for Miles to finish showering and change, let alone go looking. He came back out to Miles running his hand through his hair, eyes down.

"Photographing," Jack explained when the other didn't ask. Miles nodded and grinned, much more naturally.

"Right, gotcha," Miles laughed again, calmer than the first. He sighed and shook his head once.

Jack hooked his thumb over his shoulder towards the bathroom door. "I'm just going to hop in real quick," he said carefully. "If you wanna charge your laptop or anything, you can use any outlet. There's like a billion." Miles nodded again.

"If you take long enough, I might be able to hack into everyone's files inside this hotel." he said almost warningly, that devilish light coming back into his eye. Jack's eyes widened fractionally, realizing that Miles was only half joking around. Jack reached out as he walked toward the brunette. He felt Miles tensing as Jack planted a simple kiss on his lips.

"Don't get me in trouble, now," Jack murmured scoldingly, kissing Miles again and releasing his wrist to hop into the shower. As he shut the door and turned the water on, a goofy smile pasted itself on his face and refused to leave. 


	6. Chapter 6

Jack stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed, hair dripping onto his shirt. He found Miles sprawled out amid the clothing piles in Jack's room, laptop plugged into one outlet, wireless internet modem to another and a strange, smaller box attached to the second outlet nearest the doorway. The laptop was small, much thinner than Jack's outdated brick, and showed a series of command boxes on screen that Jack didn't recognize. Miles glanced up when he came in, smiling sheepishly.

"I didn't do anything illegal, I swear," he closed one of the programs down without looking, smiling winningly. Jack managed a smile that bordered on disapproval. 

"I'm serious, if you get yourself arrested or kicked out of Arizona before you're old enough to drink, I'll beat you into next week," Jack replied threateningly. Miles grinned.

"That's only if I get caught," he retorted, closing the laptop and sitting up. Jack gave him a warning glare before seating himself on his bed.

"So," Jack slapped his legs with both hands, looking around the room. "What do you want to do on your first official day in Cactus Land?"

"See the sunset," Miles said soberly. Jack rolled his eyes, mouth twitching.

"I mean right now, seeing as its only nine in the morning," he replied dryly, pointing to the sun outside his tiny window. Miles nodded seriously.

"Arizonian breakfast," he said extravagantly, deadpan. Jack stared at him for a second before ducking his head, shoulders shaking. "What? I want special across-the-country breakfast!" 

"Okay, okay," Jack chuckled, shaking his head and stepping into his sneakers. "One special Arizona breakfast, coming right up."

Jack took him down to a little diner near the apartment complex. There were other rooming buildings around it, most empty of guests. The parking lot of the small eatery was empty as well, and Jack grinned at Miles's reluctancy. The area around them had once been a tourist's place, but many had moved out for the more popular hotels nearer the mountains and legendary scenery views. The regulars in the diner waved as Jack led Miles in and Jack saluted back, resisting the urge to reach back and grip Miles hand as if to stake his claim. Most of the clientele were elderly, and Jack felt rather stupid for wanting to do so, but the urge remained until they sat themselves in the corner.

"It doesn't look like much, but the food is really good," Jack murmured as one of the waitresses, a slim, tanned college student, came over with two menus and cups.

"Morning, Jack," she drawled, a slight Texan tang in her voice. Her dark eyes lingered hungrily on Miles. "Who's your friend here?"

"Hey, Miranda," Jack reaffirmed his desire to mark Miles as his, but kept his voice cool. "Miles, this is Miranda, the least wrinkled waitress within five miles." Miles smiled at her politely.

"Don't be a dick, Jack-off," she replied smoothly, slipping Miles one of her seductress smiles. "Your friend is pretty cute, I want to talk to him." The seduction hit Miles like water would hit a concrete wall; little to no effect, water draws back as if offended. Jack narrowed his eyes and grinned almost viciously at her.

"I'm not that cute," Miles grumbled, looking away. He sounded offended as well, not a bit of mischief or humor any more, and Miranda drew back further.

"Well gorsh, I just like making conversation," she rolled her eyes, smile sliding away. "I'll be back with coffee, don't pee ya'self while I'm gone." Miles raised an eyebrow at her back. 

Jack looked proudly at the brunette. "She's just mad because you didn't start drooling like a dog at her feet." Miles frowned almost darkly.

"She called me cute," he replied, miffed. "And she makes stupid jokes. How old is she anyway?" Jack blinked at the amount of scorn Miles held in his voice.

"A year younger than me," he said carefully, taking off his sunglasses and folding them onto the table. "She's not completely dumb. And you are cute." Jack hoped to not incur the wrath of the tiny conqueror. He also made a mental note to save that phrase for later; it fit Miles's small frame like an evil little glove.

To his surprise, Miles flushed and fiddled with his napkin. "It's different when its you," he said plaintively. "She seems like an emptyheaded prostitute. I mean, who goes up to other people's friends and hits on them?" Jack never made it past the "you". He all but purred with delight. It was seeming like he needed to stake no claims with Miles after all. 

"Some girls," Jack answered loftily as Abigail, the seventy-odd regular waitress arrived for their order and coffee. Miles watched interestedly as Abigail leaned down to whisper to Jack that Miranda was sulking in the back. Abigail took their orders with much less winking and smiling, but she elbowed Jack on her way back through the mostly-barren diner. Jack grinned into his mug.

"I guess everyone knows you here," Miles said quietly, sipping at his coffee as well. He said this a bit wistfully.

Jack shrugged and nodded. "Mostly. In here, its the regulars who stay to eat. The town kind of supports itself like that." Jack frowned slightly when Miles nodded, ducking his head. "Don't you live in a smaller town as well?"

Miles looked slightly uncomfortable. "Y-yeah, but with my parents... My last name kind of drove people off. I didn't have a lot of friends growing up because my parents told me kids would be after our money and to watch out. Of course, they didn't tell me that I would not need to guard our fortunes from menacing six year olds, so I scared a lot of them off." Jack nodded in understanding, although he could not really imagine having parents that paranoid about their kid and their money. "Suffice it to say, people knew my name, but they wouldn't talk to us."

"Stay around long enough and you'll have the old ladies pinching your cheek and telling you how their granddaughters are living not terribly far from here and are going to nice parties that are open to newcomers," Jack muttered as another elderly couple walked in. Miles broke his moroseness with a small, devilish grin.

"Didn't you tell them you prefer little boys?" he whispered, waggling his eyebrows. Jack's jaw dropped indignantly.

"I'm sorry, who is the one hunting down and assaulting old men?" Jack shot back defensively, acting wounded. Miles dropped a dirty wink.

"I like 'em mature," he purred, cutting off with a look of shock and disgust as one of the older men hobbled his way past them to the rest room. Jack covered his mouth as Miles dropped his head to the table, looking horrified.

"All them wrinkles," Jack said from the corner of his mouth, sniggering. Miles covered his eyes and shuddered.

"Never mind," he mumbled, taking a strong gulp from his mug. "Don't let me open my mouth anymore."

"Oh, but where's the fun in that?" Jack chuckled, freezing with his coffee at his lips. His tone had been more of, how you say, an  _innuendo_ than he had intended. Miles snuck him a condescending smile. 

"Bad Jack, we're in public." Miles kept his eyes in his coffee, grinning slyly. Jack avoided looking at him, pressing his lips together.

"I merely meant," Jack gestured freely with his fork, dropping it and snatching it off the table when it clattered loudly. He kept his eyes away from Miles, who was biting on his fist to keep from laughing. "I only implied that listening to you dig yourself into holes with your own mouth-"

"You're bordering on explicit here, friend." Miles narrowed his eyes. "What would the ladies think?"

"IF you want to verbally shoot your own foot, is really what I mean to say." Jack finished, correcting himself once again. There were too many accidental and horribly, barely funny gay puns in his entire retort that he pursed his lips and put the fork down, deliberately silently. Miles snorted and had to look away as the old man returned from the bathroom. 

"That was really bad," Miles said after they got themselves under control.

"It was," Jack agreed, shifting in his seat and praying that the other customers hadn't heard anything.

"But hey," Miles continued after a short pause. He was biting one finger as he spoke. "If you wanna commence shoving yourself into holes, I won't stop you." Jack snorted and put his head down.

Pancakes for Miles and an omlette arrived some time and a few bad jokes later and most of their conversation ceased as they dug in. Jack looked up from his plate once to see Matt shoveling blueberries and pancake into his mouth. He noticed and glanced at Jack, green eyes innocent over his bulging cheeks. Jack shook his head. Every time he thought Miles couldn't get any cuter or any  more perverted, he was (gladly) proven wrong. Jack smiled to himself and finished his omlette, thinking he hadn't had more fun inside the diner than he had that morning.

**Author's Note:**

> S'ank you for reading <3


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